ry, inwardly thankful that she had not been in the latest
scrapes.

Neither was right. But after a time, tiring of their efforts to get some
sign from the culprits, the quartette in the hall dispersed to amuse
themselves in some more entertaining manner. No sooner had their
footsteps died away on the stairs, and Peace was convinced in her own
mind that they had really gone for good, than a change came over her.
She was sitting erect in a stiff-backed chair in one corner of the room,
while her companion in misery sat huddled in the opposite corner,
staring at the fresco of flags above her head. Both looked dreadfully
woe-begone, and as if the tears were very near the surface, for
punishment sat heavily upon these two light-hearted spirits,
particularly as such severe measures did not seem necessary or just to
them in view of the smallness of their sin. However, when the racket
outside their door finally fell away into silence, Peace suddenly gave a
little jump of inspiration, twisted her feet about the legs of her
chair, and began a slow, laborious hitching process across the red rug
toward the tiny dresser. Reaching this goal, she jerked open a drawer,
rummaged out paper and pencil and began a furious scratching.

Allee watched with fascinated eyes, but true to her promise to the
President in the den below, she never said a word, though she was nearly
bursting with curiosity and it was so hard to keep still. After a few
moments of rapid scribbling on a page of vivid pink stationery, the
brown-eyed plotter again commenced her queer march across the room until
she had reached the door, unlocked it, and after a hard struggle managed
to pin the slip to the outside panel. Then with a sigh of mingled relief
at having accomplished her object and resignation at her unjust fate,
she closed the door once more, and wriggled back to her place opposite
Allee, never so much as looking at the eager face questioning hers so
mutely.

Again silence reigned in the pretty room, and both girls fell to
wondering what the other members of the household were doing. Suppose
Cherry had taken Lorene down to the pond to skate. That was what Peace
herself had been planning on ever since she had looked into the small
dark face of the child who was only six weeks and two days younger than
she was. Suppose Hope had gone with Henderson to coast on the hill. He
had promised Allee the first ride just the night before. Suppose Jud
should choose this mo